A slender girl stood in front of Song Xijun, her body swaying unsteadily, barely managing to muster her strength. In her hand she held a shard of broken glass, the sharp end of which cut Ruan Qing'an's hand.

Her fair skin was cut open, and blood slid down her arm. Ruan Qing'an's face turned pale. The intense pain finally brought her back to her senses, and she stared intently at Song Xijun.

Seeing that Ruan Qing'an's hand was still trembling as he hit her, Song Xijun paused and asked, "Does your hand hurt, hmm?"

"...You're really crazy."

Ruan Qing'an's expression darkened slightly. Ignoring Song Xijun, he pushed him aside and staggered to Li Ming's side, who was nearly unconscious.

She forced herself to stay awake and pressed her hand on Li Ming's carotid artery. Ruan Qing'an's expression grew increasingly grim as she turned to look at Song Xijun.

Before Ruan Qing'an could speak, she noticed that Song Xijun was standing still, his dark eyes fixed on her, the barely visible dark green of his eyes seeming bewitched, like a frightening wild beast.

Song Xijun stood alone, while Ruan Qing'an squatted on the ground with Li Ming. His eyes were dark as he looked at the scene before him, as if everything was shrouded in blood.

Even if he were to be reborn, he would still clearly remember the time he was locked in this room, like a wounded stray dog, living in darkness.

At that time, in order to prevent Song Xijun from participating in the TIP International Physics Competition, Ruan Qingan not only tricked him into going out under the pretense of being childhood sweethearts, but also beat Song Xijun until he was covered in bruises, and then conspired with Li Ming to lock him up here.

Those days were the ones Song Xijun least wanted to recall. His injuries were so severe they were almost festering, yet he was confined to this room and unable to leave even for a moment.

Although Li Ming had the courage to illegally imprison Song Xijun, he didn't have the courage to actually kill her. He didn't dare let Song Xijun really die, so he sent people over every day to bring her some food, but that was just keeping Song Xijun alive.

He eked out a living, living a miserable existence like a dog. By the time he was released, Song Xijun had developed chronic illnesses—all because they were afraid his release would affect Li Ming's participation in the TIP International Physics Competition.

The scene in my memory overlapped with the moment when Nguyen Thanh An pounced on her, and then I couldn't tell them apart anymore.

【Affection Level: 10】

【Affection Value: 0】

【Affection Points: -10】

The favorability rating that I had worked so hard to raise kept dropping.

037 was almost paralyzed with fear: [My ancestor, say something to salvage the situation, or the male lead will snap your neck!]

Ruan Qingan ignored 037 and looked at Song Xijun instead.

In just a moment of silence, Ruan Qingan was already pinned to the ground, broken glass shards falling to the ground with a crisp sound, while Li Ming lay unconscious beside him.

But then, Song Xijun pinned Ruan Qing'an down with one hand, looking down at her like a beast devoid of emotion, ready to tear her throat apart at any moment: "You'll only ever look at Li Ming, you'll only ever follow him, Ruan Qing'an..."

"Childhood sweetheart, what do you mean to me anyway?"

He spoke in a low, hoarse voice, filled with intense hatred. What Song Xijun hated most was that even when he still had some leeway for this so-called childhood sweetheart, she could kill him without hesitation.

Beneath him was the person he had never forgotten in either of his two lifetimes.

Song Xijun's eyes had lost all reason. His slender hand grasped Ruan Qing'an's swan-like neck. The memory of Ruan Qing'an and Li Ming harming him was still vivid in his mind.

Ruan Qing'an instinctively grabbed Song Xijun's hand: "Wooden head, let go of me..."

But Song Xijun, who was almost out of her mind, completely regarded Ruan Qing'an under her as someone from her previous life.

Until the next moment—

"Smack!"

A heavy slap landed squarely on Song Xijun's face.

Song Xijun was finally stunned. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration, Ruan Qingan quickly pushed him away.

Seeing Song Xijun remain silent, Ruan Qing'an stared at him with her leaden gray eyes: "Song Xijun, what are you thinking?"

"...I'm thinking about you."

Ruan Qing'an was almost laughing with anger. As the effects of the drug in her body wore off over time and the pain subsided, she staggered forward, grabbed Song Xijun by the collar, and her eyes were filled with blazing rage.

"Song Xijun, are you fucking stupid?!"

"Do you know how difficult this kind of thing is to handle?! Li Ming wrongly accused you of assaulting someone, and I went through all sorts of trouble to clear your name and have your punishment revoked."

"You're really something! You hit someone yourself, even knowing that Li Ming had called people over. Song Xijun, do you even want your spot anymore?!"

It wasn't until Ruan Qing'an's voice rang in his ears that Song Xijun came back to his senses. He looked down at her with his dark eyes.

Before Song Xijun could speak, Ruan Qing'an pushed him away, squatted down in front of Li Ming again, and slapped Li Ming across the face with her blood-stained arm.

Crisp and resonant...

Ruan Qingan, expressionless, spread his hands to Song Xijun: "Bring me some water, quickly, you blockhead."

Song Xijun was slightly taken aback, but still went to the kitchen to get a basin of water and came over. Just as she got close, she heard Ruan Qing'an say coldly, "Splash it."

With the sound of splashing water, Li Ming, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, woke up again. He groaned in pain, but could not move. Ruan Qing'an squatted beside him, his leaden eyes filled with coldness.

Under the almost horrified gaze of dawn, Nguyen Thanh An smiled radiantly, like a beautiful serpent with vibrant patterns: "Just like you gave me two results, Your Excellency."

"My graduation certificate, and Song Xijun's spot."

"So now, how about I give you two interesting choices? You can tell everyone about how I hit you today, and I'll take the blame. You decide who's more afraid of things getting out of hand online, you or me?"

"Or, if I embellish what you did to me today, Your Excellency, would you be put on a government paycheck by the state, hmm?"

Her voice was melodious and pleasant, yet it sent chills down one's spine.

Li Ming was so frightened that he was completely out of his mind, and at this moment Ruan Qing'an stood up and glanced at him from above.

"Don't think you can outsmart a madman. That's my advice to you, Chairman. I believe you have a way to explain these things. You'd better think carefully about how you're going to speak."

After saying that, Ruan Qing'an turned and walked towards the door. After she grasped the door handle, she turned back to look at Song Xijun, who was still standing there like a wooden statue, somewhat dazed.

Ruan Qing'an frowned slightly: "Still standing there?"

"……knew."

Song Xijun's gaze finally moved, landing on Ruan Qing'an's neck. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as his fingertips brushed against the face still bearing the marks of a slap.

Never before had he realized so clearly that the current Ruan Qing'an was different from the one in his previous life.

It felt like it was hitting the very strings of my heart...

【Affection Level: 35】